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KOH Rain Forest Nail Polish Review

I had written a post introducing KOH Cosmetics earlier this month. I admit I was gushing about this brand but hey, what’s not to love?! I love its concept, I love its packaging and I love its wide range of nail products. I’d like to think of it as fresh and different.
I had promised that I would write more about this brand and so, here is my first review of a KOH product, a nail polish that I purchased several months ago. There was a teeny photo of my nails with this Rain Forest nail polish in that first KOH article and so, to compensate for that shamefully almost-microscopic photo, I shall include here larger and clearer images.

Note: I suppose nail polish reviews should be quick and short but since KOH is not yet very known outside of certain countries in West Europe, I’ll do an elaborate review here.

ProductName: KOH Colours! in Rain ForestColour choice: Last I checked, there were 124 colours as there were new releases recently but there could be even more choices now (it’s hard to keep up!)Volume and Price: 10ml / 0.34 fl oz for €14.95

Packaging
Every KOH Colours! nail polish comes in a case with embroidery and the KOH logo. The case is shut with a press-stud. Inside, under the flap, are two elastic bands to hold a mini nail file. The brush handle is long and narrow and the brush is pretty standard.

Nail file pictured was purchased separately

According to KOH (excerpts, translated)KOH Colours! are enriched with topaz. This exquisite exclusive gemstone has a crystal-clear brilliance and a unique hardness. Just like topaz, KOH Colours! have a dazzlingly beautiful sparkle and the nail polish is longer protected against damage.

Contents

Rain Forest is a very glossy sap green with a slight yellow undertone.

I mentioned before that I didn't find formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and toluene on the list of ingredients. I've scrutinised the list to the best of my ability (I'm sure you would understand how difficult to read and complicated ingredients lists tend to be). I do see topaz listed somewhere at the bottom of the list.

My thoughtsPackaging
Like I said before, I love the case in which the nail polish bottle comes. It’s basically an oversized liptick case, big enough to hold the tall bottle. I think it’s cool and handy that you can store a mini nail file in there too.

The long brush handle is slightly pinched in towards the top half. I have no problems with this handle shape as the grasp is fine.

Application and Nail Polish Consistency
KOH Colours! nail polishes have a normal nail polish scent. The nail polishes are pigment-heavy. The formula is rather thick and they dry quite fast. That could be a boon or a bane, I suppose.

With this nail polish, one coat would actually be enough. Personally, I don’t prefer this method even though it is less work. You’d need to have a sure, quick and steady hand. Otherwise, the paint job may look uneven and sometimes streaky due to its pretty fast drying time. Yours truly doesn’t have a sure, quick and steady hand, so would rather let the nail polish drain a little from the brush first before applying a moderately thin layer. The second layer can be applied five to ten minutes later. So far, I’ve never needed to apply a third layer. The images below are with two layers of Rain Forest (the second image is with flash photography).

Durability
The topaz in the formula is supposed to increase the hardiness of KOH nail polishes. From my own experience, KOH Colours! nail polishes stay in good condition for averagely three days. But I’m always of the opinion that no matter how great a nail polish is, the durability of a nail polish depends on how dainty you are and how much work you do with your hands, household chores, for example. So, it all depends on personal circumstances.

I’ve recently started using KOH Top Coat Bamboo as a protective layer. I will give Top Coat Bamboo more time to prove its worth before doing a review on it.

Conclusion
I’m happy with the quality of its nail polishes. It’s very pigmented and with the thick formula, you’ll never encounter issues with having to paint four to five layers! I don’t know how you feel about green-coloured nail polishes but I sure love Rain Forest! And I’m not someone who’s usually that crazy about the colour green. I was feeling adventurous the day I purchased it.

KOH Cosmetics has positioned itself as a luxury brand and the beautiful packaging attests to that. I think KOH Colours! nail polishes would make great gifts especially because every KOH nail polish bottle comes with a lovely case which you can use for many purposes. You don’t necessarily need to use it only to keep the KOH nail polishes!

To expand on what I mentioned previously and as an indicator, the price of a bottle of KOH nail polish is €1.00 dearer than a bottle of OPI (here in the Netherlands anyway) but I admit you do get more volume in an OPI bottle. On a per bottle basis, KOH is about a quarter less expensive than the nail polishes of other luxury brands like Chanel. Per ml basis, I think they work out to be almost the same, perhaps KOH being a tad less expensive and you do walk away with a beautiful casing. I try to take advantage of the occasional deals offered by the beauty stores.

At the moment, KOH nail polishes are available in upmarket beauty stores in only several countries in West Europe.

If you’re curious about this brand, please read my previous post on KOH Cosmetics. You may also want to have a look at the KOH Cosmetics website but as mentioned before, the Dutch version is more extensive than the English version. So, do let me know if you have any questions.

Next month, I will share with you my recent visit to nail polish heaven. Yes, I said heaven!

I'm sure i had already commented this? =S. Hehe. Anyway, this is a great review, as usual xD. And I love the colour alot! I'll have to find a replica because I don't know if I can get that brand where I live =(.

I am absolutely smitten with the polish and the packaging. What an beautiful gift it would make for a nail polish connoisseur. Rain Forest is a gorgeous colour on your nails and while I am not a green polish fan, I could definitely imagine wearing this on my nails. I think the gold flecks contained within the polish do it justice. Great post and I can't wait to be transported to Nail Polish Heaven, is there such a place? If there is, I'm done for ;) xx

@DanielleHi! I can certainly imagine this colour on your nails and knowing how creative you are, you would add some gorgeous artwork on it too! :)

It's been a short trip so far, this journey of my beauty awakening, but, girl, I got really starry-eyed when I stepped into this place I call nail polish heaven! I will write about it in a week or two and you can decide if it's heaven or not. :D

@Honey BombHi, Homey Bomb! Yeah, KOH puts a lot of emphasis on the packaging. They're lovely. Dupe for Peridot? I haven't seen Peridot in person. I've seen only photos on the internet, so I can't be sure. It does seem to me though that Peridot has more gold than green while it's the reverse for Rain Forest. :)